The Baldwin City Council approved an intergovernmental agreement Tuesday night covering maintenance and upgrades for the city’s public safety radios after receiving assurances that police and firefighters would not be disconnected from Habersham County’s radio system over a payment dispute.
Council members postponed action on the agreement at an earlier meeting amid concerns about language indicating that Baldwin could be cut off from the system if the city failed to make its required payments.
City officials said Habersham County has since clarified that Baldwin would not lose access to the radio network. Instead, the city would become responsible for its own radio maintenance and would no longer receive county-funded equipment upgrades if it did not meet its financial obligations under the agreement.
Officials said the radios include a 15-year maintenance arrangement and upgrades paid for by the county.
The provision was reportedly included because some municipalities had previously failed to make their required payments. Habersham County acknowledged that disconnecting Baldwin police and firefighters from the radio system would create a public safety concern and said that would not occur.
Despite that clarification, some council members remained uneasy about the agreement’s cost and complexity.
One council member described the agreement as “a really hard pill to swallow” and expressed concern about being asked to approve a document reportedly approaching 100 pages.
City staff and legal representatives said they had reviewed the agreement and did not identify additional concerns beyond the provisions already discussed by the council.
Possible Savings From Additional Towers
City officials said Habersham County is discussing the possible purchase of two radio towers from Franklin County.
If that purchase moves forward, officials said it could reduce radio-system costs for the local governments participating in the Habersham County system. Franklin County would first have to agree to sell the towers, and no potential savings were specified during the meeting.
Banks County Communications Discussed
Council members also questioned how Baldwin police and firefighters communicate with emergency personnel in Banks County, since Baldwin’s city limits extend into both Habersham and Banks counties.
Police officials said all Baldwin Police Department and Baldwin Fire Department communications are dispatched through Habersham County, including calls originating within the Banks County portion of the city.
A cellular 911 call may initially be routed to Banks County based on the caller’s location, but the call can be transferred to Habersham County for Baldwin units to be dispatched.
However, Banks County operates a separate Kenwood radio system. Baldwin public safety personnel therefore cannot directly hear Banks County radio traffic through the Habersham County system.
Officials said they hope the systems may become more compatible if Banks County upgrades its equipment in the future.
Following the discussion, the council approved the radio maintenance agreement.
